Match Report
Worcester City v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 18-04-2026
Written by Nigel Howlett
The gossamer like thread holding Ives in step three snapped as expected, with this battling away performance at the palatial Sixways Stadium proving inconsequential as results elsewhere finally opened the trap door to step 4 after ten glorious years of over achievement by the Cambridgeshire minnows.
Manager Ricky Marheineke made a couple of changes to reinforce the midfield ahead of this game with Gibou Njie and Jernade Meade returning to the starting eleven and Reuben Wyatt and Amaru Kaunda dropping to the bench. With City resigned to a mid table finish his opposite number Chris Cornes made four changes perhaps giving a few players opportunity to earn themselves contracts for next season.
The game started slowly with both teams sizing each other up Neo Dobson got down the right to carve out the first real opportunity for the visitors to venture into the City box in the twelfth minute but his cross was a little to high for Theo Alexandrou lurking at the back post.
Two minutes later it was the hosts turn to create their first half chance as Zac Guinan did well to keep Brandon Smalley’s deep cross alive but as his pull back looked like teeing up a shooting opportunity for Ackeme Francis-Burrell the assistant’s flag went up to end the danger.
Play continued to swing end to end with each side going close a couple of times in a seven minute spell either side of the midway point in the first half. City skipper Charlie Wise did well to prevent Alexandrou getting on the end of Ben Hart’s dangerous 17th minute cross from the right. Seconds later up the other end Francis-Burrell fired a wind assisted 30 yarder just over the top.
Four minutes later home keeper Sam Kane was perhaps a little fortunate to have a foul on him awarded against Alexandrou as the tall stopper struggled to deal with Dan Lawlor’s in-swinging corner. Again play quickly swung to the other end where the tricky Charlie Lutz found a bit of space on the right to deliver a low cross to the near post where the fast arriving Smalley diverted it just wide.
Up to this point neither goalkeeper had been called into serious action but all of that changed in 26th minute when a long throw dropped on the edge of the box to Smalley and Ollie Taylor in the Ives goal reacted brilliantly to keep out the low shot. Guinan was first to react to the loose ball and looked like he must score but somehow managed to pull his left footed effort wide of the post.
Going so close seemed to lift City and Taylor was again called into action ninety seconds later as the powerful Guinan latched onto a ball over the top and let fly with a fierce, first time, effort that Taylor did brilliantly to palm away diving to his left.
The hosts continued to push forward but it took until four minutes before the break before Taylor was called into meaningful action again. Once more he was equal to the challenge as he leapt high to his right to tip over a powerful rising drive from the corner of the box by Harry Burns. But Ives then fell behind in very unfortunate circumstances from the resulting corner. The initial flag kick was knocked back to Smalley who delivered another dangerous in-swinger that went in off the head of Ethan Creary.
The final act of the first half saw the hosts go very close to doubling their advantage as Guinan got on the end of Lutz’s low cross from the right and diverted it inches wide from close range.
With results elsewhere going against Ives they knew that they had to turn this scoreline on it’s head and just hope for miracles elsewhere to stand any chance of taking their relegation battle to the final game. To that end they took the game to City straight from the off in the second half with Meade teeing up Alexandrou for a snap shot from the corner of the box that flew just wide.
But the hosts, particularly the dangerous Lutz, still threatened to take the game away from Ives. He went close to increasing the lead in 48th minute when Guinan fed him through the left channel and he fired straight at Taylor. He did get the ball past the Ives custodian from a very similar position seven minutes later but his first time effort went wide of the post.
Just when they needed it Ives were handed a route back into the game on the hour. Hart bustled his way through to the edge of the box where he was taken down by a clumsy challenge from Matt Richards. A lot of referees may have given a free kick outside the box but the excellent George Warren was confident that the first contact had occurred inside the box. Richards got a yellow card for his protests and Michael Richens confidently sent Kane the wrong way to level things up.
Now it was Ives turn to enjoy a purple patch. Meade curled a 25 yard effort inches wide two minutes later. A 67th minute canter down the left by Kai Source ended with the youngster picking out Alexandrou by the penalty spot but the striker could only prod his tame effort straight into the hands of the grateful Kane.
Two minutes later Kane was picking the ball out of the net again as another Ives break ended with Meade delivering a low cross from the right that Richens turned home at the back post to claim his 17th goal of the season and put Ives in front. Unfortunately the news from Royston and Stratford remained unhelpful for the visitors and the possible miracle remained a very faint hope.
Roared on by their home faithful the hosts lifted their game again and with fifteen minutes to go Guinan forced another excellent save out of Taylor with Njie also doing well to prevent substitute Connor Stanley forcing home the loose ball. But two minutes later things were all square again as Guinan forced home Burns low cross at the near post.
Ives heads did not go down and they pushed hard for a winner. Lawlor delivered a teasing 82nd minute free kick to the back post where Duncan Idehen forced his way amongst bodies to get on the end of it but could only direct his header into the side netting. Four minutes later Richens outmuscled Rowe and drove forward before unleashing a vicious 25 yarder that dipped and bounced just in front of the keeper with Kane doing very well to hold onto it.
Moments later Kaunda was put through the left channel by his fellow substitute Wyatt, but a perfectly timed recovery tackle by the classy Josh Bailey took the ball off his toe just as the youngster was about to let fly.
Lawlor fired a 90th minute free kick just over. Wyatt did well to rob Musa Ceesay deep inside the City half. The City substitute pulled him back to pick up a yellow card but Richens could only drag the resulting free kick wide from 30 yards.
With time ticking down Ives were almost caught on the break as Bailey got away down the left and pulled the ball back for Stanley but the agile Taylor flung himself to his right to keep the shot out. Ives left four players up in the hope of a break from two late City corners but it was not to be.
On the way home a sharp shower of rain had put up a rainbow over St Ives. The Ives faithful will be hoping that a generous benefactor can find the proverbial crock of gold at the end of it and donate a large sum to the club to pursue a hoped for swift return to step 3.
Final Score: Worcester City 2 St Ives Town 2 Half Time 0 – 1
Goals:
WORCESTER: Creary (own goal) 41, Guinan 77
ST IVES: Richens 59 (pen), 69
Team Line Ups:
WORCESTER: Kane, Ezewele, Bailey, Rowe, Wise (capt), Richards (Downing 80), Lutz (Lutz 70), Francis-Burrell (Ceesay 80), Guinan, Burns, Smalley (Stanley 70), Unused subs: Lockett
ST IVES: Taylor, Creary, Source, Richens (capt), Idehen, Dobson (Kaunda 57), Hart, Lawlor, Njie (Baker 88), Alexandrou, Meade (Wyatt 76), Unused subs: Smith, Miles,
Referee: George Warren
Cards: Yellow: WORCESTER: Richards (59), Rowe (77), Ceesay (90) ST IVES: Hart (36), Richens (77)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Michael Richens
Attendance: 808